New waterfront cultural arts destination Stanton Yards coming to Detroit’s Little Village

Multiple boat storage and service facilities lining the Detroit River are transforming into Stanton Yards, a forthcoming waterfront arts destination spearheaded by Library Street Collective co-founders JJ and Anthony Curis.

The development is part of the ambitious partners’ new arts corridor Little Village in Detroit’s East Village neighborhood. Once completed, Stanton Yards will be directly across Jefferson Avenue from the other anchor sites in Little Village, including the Shepherd, LANTERN, and Louis Buhl & Co.

“Stanton Yards is an extension of the community-based principles we’ve applied to other cultural developments in Little Village,” the Curises shared in a press release. “The adaptive reuse will breathe new life into a series of maritime buildings while transforming the storage-based marina into a public asset on the waterfront.”

The location got its name from the waterway’s original title, the Stanton Canal, a nod to the site’s industrial history.

The Curises hope that the 13-acre area will emerge as a cultural centerpiece for the community, with over 80,000 square feet of commercial and creative space, 85 boat slips, and programmed waterfront parks. Library Street Collective, in collaboration with neighborhood stakeholders, will also spearhead Stanton Yards’ programming, which will include exhibitions, public activations, and performances.

Leading the architectural and design aspects of the redevelopment are OSD (Office of Strategy and Design), and New York-based architecture firm SO – IL. Efforts involve the adaptive reuse of four pre-war industrial buildings, including a former theatre, marina showrooms, service shops, and a navy shipyard from World War II. The transformation will combine historic architecture with modern upgrades and accessibility to create a campus for arts organizations, creative retail, artist studios, independent hospitality ventures, and more. Under the leadership of Simon David, OSD is crafting the master plan and landscape for the expansive marina site, which will also include a new waterfront restaurant and office building.

Stanton Yards promises to be a publicly accessible site featuring arts, food, ecology, boating, and waterfront activities, with the goal to “reintroduce” Detroiters and visitors to a city with diverse cultural destinations.

“It’s an honor to be working once again with our visionary clients Anthony and JJ Curis, who are invested in breathing new life into this neighborhood,” David says. “As Detroit undergoes a waterfront renaissance, Stanton Yards is poised to become a thriving new community destination for the city.”